What's for dinner? Meal Planning with The Organised Housewife

Monday

Pumpkin and Tuna Pasta

Ok so I have posted this one before, but we have more pumpkins than halloween at our place.  

This sounds like a strange combination but it is AMAZING!

Just grate some pumpkin.

Let it cook until soft in a frypan with some olive oil and onion.

Add a tin of drained tuna.

Add a splash of lemon juice and pinch of salt and pepper.

Serve mixed through your favourite pasta!

Tuesday

Chicken Pie

We love chicken but I have been searching for some different ideas as to what to do with it!

I use a bread base and puff pasty top with a chicken, leek and cream filling.

Wednesday

Mexican Meatballs

This is a new one for us.  I was looking for a few cost effective, child friendly recipes and this one appeared!

My kids love corn chips and I just know they are going to love this!

It would also make a great lunchbox treat!

Recipe and Picture ~ Here

Thursday

Spinach and Ricotta Canelloni

This weeks meat free meal.

The trick here is to buy the Latina Fresh past sheets.

Line them with your filling and then roll!

Sure beats trying to fill those fiddly tubes!

This one is great for leftovers!

Friday

Morrocan Lamb Casserole

I love using the slow cooker!  

Just through the lamb and veggies in with one of these slow cooker Recipe Bases and you have a quick and easy meal!

I serve this one with rice.

Recipe ~ Here

Saturday

Beef Fajitas

An easy build your own dinner!

These kits were on special for $5 at Woolworths!

Sunday

Freezer Find

Baking - Tiramisu (the non alcoholic cheats version)

Picture from taste.com

Egg less and non alcoholic 

recipe to come!

Linking up with

The Organised Housewife

What's For Dinner - Meal Planning with the Organised Housewife

Wow what a weekend and it's only half way through!!!

I have made some BIG decisions about the "My Pigeon Pair" blog this weekend!

Can't wait to share the journey with you!

But back to reality, I have meals to plan, groceries to buy and 

fights over chapsticks to referee.

Yes chapsticks, are the toy of choice in our house at the moment.  

Strawberry is the current favourite. So glad I bought them toys for Christmas!

This week I am guest posting my meal plan over at 

The Organised Housewife

These meals are our family favourites!

Eggplant Parmigiana, Lemon Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks and Honey Joys

not all together of course!

For the recipes and even a few sneaky pictures head over to

The Organised Housewife

Bon Appetite! 

What's for dinner? Meal Planning Monday

Monday

Baked Tandoori Whole Chicken - Rice and Steamed Greens.

This is a marinated chicken from Woolworths.

As much as we love it, it is a little spicy for the kids so we peel off the skin and cut up the meat for them.

Tuesday

Lamb Roast with Vegetables

Nothing like a lamb roast in Winter and I am hoping to try using one of those new 

"cook in bags!"

Wednesday

Slow Cooker Ratatouile

Our meat free meal this week served with some crispy cheese bread!

Thursday

Spaghetti Bolognese with meatballs.

This is a quick and easy dinner from the freezer with hopefully enough leftovers for me to take to work!

Friday

Panko crumbed Fish and Homemade Potato chips

How expensive has Fish and Chips gotten!!!

So we are making our own!

Saturday

Grilled Salmon with Veggie Mash and Broccolini and Asparagus

It is so expensive, but so good for you and not a scrap goes to waste as we all love it!

Lots of oven meals this week!!!  SO glad to have our oven back on board.  The price saving of doing the repairs ourselves was $100!!!!

Soooo worth it!

Do you think I could use this money for a new pair of boots?

Happy boot wearing Mummy, Happy Family?

Linking up with

The Organised Housewife

What's for dinner? Meal Planning Monday

Our meals have a twist this week!

NO OVEN!

The heating element on our oven has died and we can't get it fixed (by the hubby) until at least Friday!

So this week all our meals are made on the stove top, bbq or slowcooker!

Monday

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff with Rice Cooker - Rice and Steamed Greens.

Simply pop in the slow cooker at lunch time!  

Love getting my two bench top cookers going! Sooo easy.

For added veggies I just steam up the kids favourites Broccolini and Zucchini!

Tuesday

Lamb Chops with Fried Risotto balls.

My kids LOVE rice!

Whilst on holidays my mum whipped up these delicious risotto balls filled with cheese!

So I am hoping to attempt them!

I have all day Tuesday with only one child at home to get it right!!!

Wednesday

Slow Cooker Honey and Mustard Chicken with corn and zucchini 

This is a family favourite

Thursday

Ham and Cheese Tortellini with

Cheese, Bacon and Chicken Sauce

This is a quick and easy dinner after a long day at work and also makes enough for leftovers the next day!

These are both Latina products from Woolworths that are on special this week!

Friday

BBQ Steak, sausages and grilled zucchini, eggplant, capsicum and potato 

The hubby is whipping up this one as I am at work and he has the day off!

Saturday

Celebration Lasagne and Garlic Bread

By Saturday we will have the oven fixed!  This cold weather has me craving lasagne!

Sunday

Left overs!

No meat free meals for us this week!

But if you wanted to you could make the tortellini with ricotta tortellini and a tomato based sauce

and the Lasagne could be a delicious vegetable lasagne!

What's for dinner at your place this week?

Whats for Dinner? - Meal Planning

Meal plan Monday!!!

Monday

Eggplant Parmigiana with Garlic Bread

Tuesday

Crumbed Chicken Maryland with 

Roast Veggies and Macaroni Cheese.

I got 4 marylands for $3 at Woolworths!

Wednesday

Out for dinner... not getting too excited it is a work event!

Family having whatever Hubby cooks up! 

 They should be excited he is an awesome cook!

Thursday

Beef Fajitas

Such an easy dinner after a long work day!

Friday

Honey Mustard Chicken with Rice, Beans and Zucchini

Saturday

Baked Fish with salsa Vegetables and Chunky Chips

Sunday 

Pumpkin Soup!

Baking

Pumpkin Scones

We have grown our very own pumpkin, yes just one!

It has literally grown from one left over pumpkin seed pushed in the ground!

The vine is huge!

We would love your best pumpkin soup and pumpkin scones recipes!!!

Linking up with

The Organised Housewife

Whats for Dinner? - Meal Planning - with FREE PRINTABLE - Week 4'

The Organised Housewife

This is our last official "Printable" Meal Plan!

I figure we now have 4 weeks worth of meal plans and from now on we can just mix and match!

This week was the easiest one yet!  We are going to be out two nights this week and what a difference this makes!

What's for dinner? Week Four

Monday

Chicken Parmigiana

I actually sat down and worked out the cost of this meal and it worked out cheaper to buy the Chicken Schnitzels Crumbed ready to go, compared to buying breast/thigh fillets and crumbing them yourself!!

Such an easy meal loved by everyone!  You can try so many different toppings!  We are going with the standard tomato and cheese but you could add ham, bacon, pineapple, whatever takes your fancy!

Tuesday

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

This is a very easy meal if you use fresh pasta sheets instead of cannelloni tubes.

You just place some of your mixture on the past sheet, roll and place in your baking dish.

No icing bags or tricky filling of tubes!

Wednesday

Up to Hubby!

It's my Birthday so I AM NOT COOKING!

Thursday

Lamb Chops

We love Lamb chops!  Especially the ones with the round bone in the middle!

Friday

Quiche Lorraine with grilled Mediterranean Veggies

Such a classic recipe.  Really you can add whatever you want to the standard filling!

I always make double the quantity and make some mini ones as well for lunches!

Saturday

Fend for themselves I am going out with the girls!

Sunday

BBQ!  Fingers crossed for some good weather!  It has been ages since we have had a good steak!

So that's it for this week!

Remember just click the link, download and print!

Today I am off on a mission to find a new outfit for under $50 for Saturday night!

I am up to the challenge. 

Hmm little black dress? 

Something non-mummsy! 

If I survive the expedition of clothes shopping with a baby in tow I will return to tell you about my discoveries!

Whats for Dinner? - Meal Planning - with FREE PRINTABLE - Week 3

Meal planning with "The Organised Housewife" has moved to Monday's!!

This week we have quite a few "budget" recipes!

The Pasta Bake cost $5!!!

Both Monday's and Tuesday's meal are under $10!

Now that the weather is cooler we have also got out our slow cooker and rice cooker!

Love the slow cooker!  It i so much easier to just throw it all in when I have the time, instead of standing at the stove at witching hour!

"My Pigeon Pair" Meal Plan ~ Week 3

Just click the link, download and print!

Tomorrow I will update you on our "Organisation Station" progress!!!

What's For Dinner? Meal Plan Week Two

I was absolutely overwhelmed by the wonderful response to last week's meal plan and shopping list!

I truly value all your lovely comments and feedback so.....

Here is the link to Week Two!
Remember please click on the link below the picture
NOT THE PICTURE!

Meal Plan - Week Two

Thanks to your suggestions, this week I have included two "meat free" recipes!

Monday

Beef Fajitas

I have a busy day, Monday and this is a quick and easy last minute dinner!

Tuesday - Vegetarian

Pumpkin, Basil and Pine Nut Pasta

This is the easiest recipe!!!  Basically, heat some cream (about 200ml) in a fry pan, add half a container of "Basil and Pine Nut dip" any brand will do, roast some cubed pumpkin in the oven, cook some pasta, combine and eat!  Master O is not a fan of the "green bits" so I just combine the roast pumpkin, some tuna, a little olive oil and the pasta for him!

Wednesday

Eggplant Parmigiana - Vegetarian

This is a very "Italian" dish and after consuming copius amounts of it growing up this was my first attempt at making it!

It was the most time consuming of all of this weeks recipes but totally worth it!  It is basically a layered dish of eggplant, tomato based pasta sauce, cheese, breadcrumbs and eggs.  

The recipe will be up on the blog tomorrow!

Thursday

Lamb Roast and Veggies

Yum, left over roast for my lunch on Friday!

Friday

Chicken with Sage and Prosciutto

This was our second favourite of the week!  I know how expensive Prosciutto can be so you can replace with it bacon if you like, but taste wise the Prosciutto is the winner!

This recipe will also be up this week!

Saturday

Rice Noodle and Crab Frittata

This recipe was out of an old magazine I had at home.  VERY easy and a great weekend meal!

Recipe will be posted this week!

Please feel free to share the link to these meal plans I would love to know how your planning and cooking goes!

Enjoy!

Whats For Dinner? - Meal Planning - with FREE PRINTABLE

Well we did it!

We have now been meal planning for 1 month!

We have saved money, time, last minute panic trips to the supermarket and even better, gone is the 5pm question 

Whats for dinner?

Here's what has worked for us

1. 7 Days of Creation.  

For us it is a strictly 7 day plan.  I can't think that far ahead and grocery shopping with two children in tow means that a weeks worth of groceries already takes us two hours!

2. Don't just think dinners.  

I try and plan it so that Wednesday's and Thursday's dinner meals are left over worthy so that I can take them for lunch the following day.  This has meant we are saving a further $10-15 a week on lunches!

3.  Kids Menu. 

 I try to plan meals that are easy for children to eat or can easily be altered, it saves cooking two different dinners!

4.  Make it Mondays.  

Our grocery store pamphlets arrive Sunday's.  They are loaded with specials that inspire many ideas and they often have recipes and meal suggestions inside!  Our woolworths has it's specials starting on a Monday.

5.  Shop around.  

Ok so it is not as convenient BUT...we have Aldi, Woolworths and a Dollar Store at our local shopping centre.  After a month of shopping I know which products are cheaper at each store! I generally start at Aldi, then Woolworths.  I can't rave about Aldi enough especially after this week they announced they will be removing all products with artificial colours from the shelves!

NOW HERE IS A BIG ONE

We have developed a Monthly Plan for household shopping.  

We had developed a horrible cycle of everything running out at once! 

Toilet paper, cleaning products, toiletries it would be a huge budget blowout, we would stock up again to face a month later that everything had run out at the same time...AGAIN!  so.....

added to our meal plan we have

Weekly Items - 

Milk, Bread, Eggs, Margarine, Juice etc

Monthly Items -

Week 1 - Toiletries - Toilet Paper, Shampoo & Conditioner, Soap, Baby Bath, Tissues etc

Week 2 - Cleaning - Dishwashing liquid and tablets, Spray and Wipe,

Week 3 - Household - Washing powder, batteries, lightbulbs, fly spray, Stationery,

Week 4 - Kitchen - Glad Wrap, Paper Towel, Serviettes, Alfoil, Snap lock bags, Sugar, Flour etc

I can not stress how well this system has worked for us!  We buy fairly large quantities of each (which also saves money) and it lasts a whole month!  

But wait theres more........

Introducing the

 "My Pigeon Pair" 

What's for dinner?

Meal Plan

7 Day Meal Plan

Complete with 7 day Meal Plan

Shopping List for each meal, 

Weekly Items List

Monthly Items List and 

To Do List

OR

"My Pigeon Pair "

What's for dinner?

Meal Plan 

with blank list

7 Day Meal Plan with Blank Lists

7 Day Meal Plan

Shopping List

Blank Weekly Items List

Blank Monthly Items List

Ready for you to add your own lists!

Just click on the purple link underneath each picture, download and print

FOR FREE!

Recipes,

Detailed Monthly Lists

and more to come!

What do you think?

Would you use it?

What's it missing?